Platen mounting



E. KLUGE PLA'I'EN MOUNTING Dec. 4, 1945.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 30, 1941 Me w J05 ml a mwK Dec. 4, 1945. E. KLUGE 2,390,156

PLATEN MOUNTING Filed June 30, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 4, 1945. E. KLUGE 2,390,156

PLATEN MOUNTING Filed June so, 1941 s Sheets-Sheet '5 U. III u I 5 Fig.4 1'2.

Eneva'l Kluge Patented Dec. 4, 1945 PLATEN MOUNTING Eneval Kluge, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Brandtjen & Kluge, Inc., St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application June 30, 1941, Serial No. 400,415

3 Claims. (Cl. 101-407) My improvement relates to improvements in platen mountings for presses, particularly printmg resses.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable, and relatively inexpensive mounting for supporting the platen of a press at its corner portions so that the platen may be readily advanced or retracted throughout all portions thereof simultaneously and equally relative to its coacting element and so that the platen also may be advanced or retracted at its different corner portions selectively and to the extent desired relative to its said coaeting element.

Another object of my invention is to supply a platen mounting, as above, in which independently adjustable impression screws at the corner portions of the platen are provided with coacting auxiliary screws, gear-driven in a train, for simultaneously advancing or retracting the platen throughout all portions of the same.

A further object of my invention is to supply a platen mounting, as aforesaid, in which the gearing is arranged to accommodate a reinforcing center-screw on the platen.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a platen mounting, as hereinbefore indicated, for a printing press of the Gordon type having a platen-rocker upon which the platen is adjustably supported at its corner portions through the media of impression screws and against which the reinforcing center-screw of the platen abuts, a purpose of the invention, as applied to a press of said type, being to provide a transmission gear, turned by an adjusting drive gear accessible at the upper edge of the platen,

and, in turn, driving the driven gearson the auxiliary impression screws, 2. further purpose of the invention bein to so construct said transmission gear and arrange the same that the center-screw of the platen is accommodated thereby.

()ther objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of Parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/ or described.

In the drawings, Fig. I is a vertical sectional view illustrating the principal parts of a bed and platen press of the well-known Gordon type, said press being shown as constructed with an embodiment of my present invention in adjustable platen mountings incorporated therein; Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view, taken as on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the back of the platen and additionally showing, in section, the members of the compound screws at the corner portions of the platen and also the platen center-screw; Fig.

3 is a detail sectional view, taken as on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the transmission ringgear, the gears of the compound screws driven thereby and the nut for turning the adjusting drive gear; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional View, taken as on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, illustrating the platen center-screw, the ring-gear encircling the same, and the drive gear for turning said ringgear; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view, taken as on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3, illustrating the construction of one of the compound screws and its application to the platen.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters are employed to designate similar parts throughout the several views, it will be seen that the press structure illustrated in Fig, 1 includes a frame ID, a rest or platen-rocker ll thereon, and a platen l2 carried by said platen-rocker, all of said parts being customary in a printing press of the Gordon type. Further customary to such type of press is a gear-cam wheel I3 which 'is mounted on a shaft M in the frame It! and imparts an oscillatory movement to the platenrocker I I, said gear-cam wheel being sheathed by a guard 15. A bed [6 supported by legs I! pivoted on a bed shaft [8 mounted in the frame I0, is connected with the gear-cam wheel l3 by means of a side rod ill, a second and similar rod (not shown) being also employed, in the usual manner, to connect said bed with a crank-wheel (not shown) mounted on the shaft M. In its oscillatory movement, the platen l2 tips back and forth from open position to impression position, such movement of the platen being accompanied by a relative movement of the bed l6 which brings the form therein against the platen, in its impression position and retracts the bed from the platen in the open position of the latter.

The usual form of platen mounting in a printing press of the Gordon type consists of four impression screws, each threaded at one end into the back of the platen at a corner portion thereof and each secured releasably for rotation at its other end to the platen-rocker. By means of these impression screws, the corner portions of the platen may be advanced or retracted one at a time relative to the bed to alter the relation between platen and bed with or without angular change in the relationship therebetween, such shifting of the platen being chiefly desirable in compensation for wear, repair, replacement of parts, and variations in form make-up to produce impressions properly under the different circumstances encountered in the use of the press.

In employing the conventional impression screws to advance or retract the platen relative to the bed, without ultimate angular change in the relationship between bed and platen, the operator is confronted with a tedious and painstaking task requiring skill of a high order, since the slightest turning of either of the impression screws angularly alters the platen relative to the bed to a relatively great degree.

My present invention, while retaining the conventional impression screws per se, combines therewith auxiliary screw through which the platen is connected with said impression screws. The auxiliary screw members are simultaneously gear driven, as will soon appear, to advance or retract the platen relative to the bed without rel.- ative angular change between the two. In the present construction, each of the four impression screws 29, of generally familiar form, has an integrally constructed adjusting nut- 2| intermediately thereof, one end of the screw havmg left hand adjusting threads 22 thereon and the other end thereof being formed with right hand anchoring threads 23. The ends of said screws 20, formed with the anchoring threads 23, are revolubly received in bores 24 formed in lugs 25 on the platen-rocker N, there being two of these lugs 25 at either side of said platen-rocker. The adjusting nuts 2| on these screws 20 bear against the upper faces of said lugs 25, while anchoring nuts 21 threaded on said screws are turned against the lower faces of said lugs. Thus, said impression screws 20 are secured to the platen-rocker releasably for rotation through the media of the nut 21, the portions of said screws with said adjusting threads 22 thereon projecting upwardly from said platen-rocker.

Each impression screw 29 is fitted into a sleevelike male-female auxiliary screw 28, the two interfitting screw members constituting a compound screw. The internal threads 29 of the auxiliary screw 28 are left hand threads matching the left hand threads 22 of the impression screws 20, there being in practice preferably about fourteen threads to the inch. The external threads 30 of the auxiliary screws 28 are right hand threads and, in practice. preferably number about six threads to the inch.

The platen |2 includes a plate 3| integrally formed at the back thereof with bosse 32 near its corners and with a central boss 33. Formed integrally with said plate 3| and said bosses 32, 33 are lateral and longitudinal reinforcing ribs 34 35. Said corner bosses 32 are axially bored and formed with internal right hand threads 36 to match the similar external thread 30 of the auxiliary screws 28, the four auxiliary screws 28 being received in the corner bosses 32 as best seen in Figs. 2 and 5.

The center-boss 33 is axially bored and internally threaded to receive a reinforcing centerscrew 31, the head of which i backed into abutting relationship with a finished abutment surface 38 on the platen-rocker l I Each auxiliary screw 28 is formed at the butt thereof with a driven gear 39. These driven gears 39 all mesh with a transmission ring-gear 4| encircling the center-screw 31. Said ring-gear 4| is revoluble about an annulus 40 which forms a bearing therefor and which, like said ring-gear 4|, encircles said center-screw 31. An external annular flange 42 on the annulus 40 underlies an internal annular flange 43 On the ring-gear 4|, the cooperation of the former with the latter holding the ring-gear 4| relative to the platen with the inner face of said ring-gear disposed against finished thrust surfaces 44 on the edges of the platen reinforcing ribs 35. Adjustably holding the ring-gear bearing or annulu 40 in place are four clamping screws 45 which pass through said annulus 40 and are threaded into bosses 46 formed integrally with the platen reinforcing ribs 34, said bosses 46 being constructed with finished end face 41. Encircling said clamping screws 45 and interposed between said end faces 41 of said bosses 46 and the inner face of the annulus 40 are suitably constructed resilient washer 48 (Fig. 4) which are compressible upon the tightening of the clamping screws 45, whereby said inner face of said ring-gear 4| may be brought to bear against its platen thrust surfaces 44 with force setting up frictional resistance sufficient to prevent accidental or unpremeditated turning of said ring-gear 4| An adjusting drive-gear 49 of relatively small diameter, located in conveniently accessible position near the upper edge of the platen l2, meshes with the ring-gear 4|. Said drive-gear 49 is integrally formed with and between a nut 50 and a spindle 5|. This spindle 5| is received in the bore 52 of a boss 53 formed integrally with reinforcing ribs 34, 35 of the platen. It i provided with an annular groove 54 into which the reduced terminal 55 of a retaining screw 56 projects, said screw being threaded through the wall of said spindle boss 53 and provided with a keeper 51 to prevent its accidental dislodgement from said groove 54 in said spindle. Said keeper 51 consists of a finger removably fastened at one end thereof by a screw 58 to said boss 53, the other end of the finger being bifurcated to form a yoke 59 for the reception of a reduced portion 60 of said screw located between the head GI and threaded body portion 62 thereof. This yoke 59 serves as an end stop for said threaded body portion 6| of said screw 56 and limit its outward movement so that any accidental withdrawal of the screw terminal 55 from the spindle groove 54 is forestalled and any consequent dislodgement of the drive gear 49 from the platen 2 with the possible chance of breakage of press parts is prevented.

In use, when it is desired to advance or retract the platen |2 relative to the bed IS, without change in the angular relation between .said members of the printing couple, the press is stopped with the platen |2 tipped forwardly and thereby disposed with the nut 50 on the drivegear 49 in position readily accessible to a wrench. Said nut 50 is turned to the right, as seen in Fig. 3, to advance the platen, such turning of said nut rotating the driven gears 39 through the drive gear 49 and ring-gear 4| and causing the platen |2 to be advanced on the auxiliary screws 28, equally at all portions of the platen, while said auxiliary screws are being retracted to a lesser degree on the impression screws 23. To retract the platen, the nut 50 is turned to the left, as seen in Fig. 3, such turning of said nut causing the platen to be retracted on said auxiliary screws 28 while they are being advanced to a lesser degree on the impression screws 20. Thus, in either case, the compound screw supports, consisting of the auxiliary screws 28 and impression screws 20, effect a differential motion which, coupled with the relative diameter of the small drive gear 49 and the larger ring-gear 4|, produce an exceedingly slight movement of the platen |2 on its rocker II, as compared with the extent to which the nut 50 is turned.

To advance the platen I2 at any selected corner portion thereof, the nut 2|, integrally formed with the correspondin impression screw 20 is turned to the right, as seen in Fig. 3, after releasing the anchoring nut 21 on said screw. To retract the platen, at any selected corner portion thereof, the nut 2| on the corresponding impression screw 26 is turned to the left, as seen in Fig. 3,

In adjusting the platen l2 in any manner, the center-screw 31 will be correspondingly readjusted in the usual manner.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of'my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

i. In a printing press including a bed, a platen, a platen-rocker and a center-screw on said platen abutting against said platen-rocker, means for adjustably mounting the platen on the platenrocker, said means including male-female screws threaded into the platen near the corners thereof, impression screws threaded into said malefemale screws and secured to said platen-rocker, driven gears on said malefemale screws, a drive gear, an annulus encircling said center-screw, a

ring-gear revolubly mounted on said annulus, said platen having an inner thrust bearing for said ring-gear and said annulus having an outer thrust bearing therefor, said ring-gear meshing with said drive gear and with said driven gears, said gearing serving similarly to turn said malefemale screws and thereby either advance or retract the platen at all portions thereof simultaneously and equally relative to the bed.

2. In a press having a rest and coacting couple elements including a platen, a plurality of compound screws having differential motion anchoring said platen on said rest, and means for tuming similar members of said compound screws simultaneously either to advance or retract said platen equally at all portions thereof relative to its coactin couple element.

3. In a press having a rest and coacting couple elements including a platen, a plurality of compound screws having differential motion anchoring said platen on said rest, a center-screw interposed between platen and rest, and gearing for turning similar members of said compound screws simultaneously either to advance or retract said platen equally at all portions thereof relative to its coacting couple element, said gearing including a ring-gear encircling said center-screw.

ENEVAL KLUGE. 

